‘Cheating ring’ put hundreds of ‘unqualified’ teachers in schools, TX prosecutors say
A newly-exposed “cheating ring” allowed a proxy test-taker to help hundreds pass teacher certification exams, putting “unqualified” teachers in classrooms, Texas prosecutors said.
Five people accused of facilitating the scheme out of the Houston-area were charged, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced on Oct. 28.
Prosecutors know of at least 400 tests taken by a proxy, Ogg said, and know of at least 200 teachers that were “falsely certified.” She added that they do not know the full extent of the scheme, but investigators believe it dates back to May 2020.
“The most interesting irony to me in this circle of greed is that, in spite of the perpetrators being the type of people that we trust our kids with, educators, it was actually a good Samaritan with a conscience that brought this scheme to light,” Ogg said. She said the scheme was “well known” among those applying for teaching certifications.
At least two of those teachers falsely certified had been charged with sex crimes related to children, according to prosecutors.
Those accused in the scheme charged a fee, typically $2,500, for a proxy to sit for a teacher certification exam, according to officials. The proxy test taker and the exam proctor worked together to facilitate this, prosecutors said.
Who’s charged?
At the center of the scheme is Vincent Grayson, a 57-year-old that heads the boys basketball coaching staff at Booker T. Washington High School in Houston, officials said. Ogg said he profited at least $1 million from the cheating circle. He’s held in Harris County Jail on a $150,000 bond.
LaShonda Roberts, 39, is accused of helping recruit nearly 100 people to the “cheating ring,” Ogg said. She’s an assistant principal at Yates High School in Houston. She’s held in Harris County Jail on a $100,000 bond.
Tywana Gilford Mason, 51, and Darian Nikole Wilhite, 22, both worked as proctors at the testing centers and allowed the proxy test takers to go undetected, KXAN reported. Neither are in custody.
Nicholas Newton, 35, participated by taking the tests in place of certification applicants, prosecutors said. He’s the assistant principal at Booker T. Washington. He’s held in Harris County Jail on a $100,000 bond.
All five were charged with two counts of engaging in organized crime.
Grayson and Gilford Mason’s attorneys did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on Oct 29. Attorney information for Roberts, Newton and Wilhite was not listed.
Houston Independent School District said all three teachers accused “will be receiving notifications relieving them of their duties effective immediately,” Chief of Public Affairs and Communications Alexandra Elizondo told McClatchy news in a statement.
”Additionally, if it is determined that any teachers currently working in HISD participated in this scheme or passed their certification exams fraudulently, we will take swift action to terminate their employment with the District,” Elizondo said.
How certifications were falsified
The investigation revealed that the proxy test taker worked with the exam proctor to allow people to show up for the exam, show an ID and then leave while the “impersonator” took the exam for them.
At times, prosecutors said, people would drive from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, or even further, to check in for the test.
Investigators identified a pattern of candidates for certification that were part of the scheme. Assistant District Attorney Mark Levine said falsely certified teachers had previously failed the certification exam, driven hours to the Houston testing center and then passed the test with “flying colors.”
The 200 teachers known to have been “falsely certified” now work or have worked across the state, prosecutors said.
“We count on (teachers) for their moral compass,” Levine said. “A part of what they do goes beyond the mastery of their subject matter. To think that this many people without, what I would consider, a proper moral compass were trying to educate and influence children all across the state is definitely troubling.”
Many people are hired in schools without a certification, according to prosecutors. In some instances, a non-certified teacher would be hired and be given a deadline to obtain a certification.
In other situations, people would be hired in positions that did not require a certification but at a lower salary, Levine said. Getting a certification could greatly increase their pay, according to Levine.
“To me, the damage is not just to the education system, which is under great duress right now, but it’s actually to the families of the children who go to those schools, who trust our government to educate their kids and to keep them safe for eight hours a day,” Ogg said. “And, it just destroys that kind of faith that our community has in public schools.”
Prosecutors said the Texas Education Agency is investigating teachers that have been falsely certified through the “cheating ring.”
A spokesperson for TEA told McClatchy News that the agency will review all information shared by law enforcement and take action as needed.
Roberts and Newton are scheduled to appear in court on Oct 30. Grayson is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 1.
This story was originally published October 29, 2024 at 10:32 AM with the headline "‘Cheating ring’ put hundreds of ‘unqualified’ teachers in schools, TX prosecutors say."
